Author: Roxanne St. Claire
Genre: Women's Fiction
Publisher: Hachette Book Group
Release Date: April 24, 2012
File Size/Pages: 629 KB/421 pgs
Source: NetGalley
My Rating: 4/5
Summary: When all you hold dear is taken away . . . When a hurricane roars through Lacey Armstrong's home on the coast of Barefoot Bay, she decides all that remains in the rubble is opportunity. A new hotel is just what Mimosa Key needs, and Lacey and her teenage daughter are due for a fresh start. And nothing, especially not a hot, younger architect, is going to distract Lacey from finally making her dreams a reality. A second chance is the only thing you have left. Love has already cost Clay Walker everything. And if he's going to have any chance of picking up the pieces of his life, he needs the job as Lacey Armstrong's architect. What's not in the plans is falling for the headstrong beauty. Her vision of the future is more appealing than anything he could have ever drafted for himself. Will Clay's designs on Lacey's heart be more than she can handle, or will she trust him to build something that will last forever?
Review: First things first, I absolutely love the front cover of this novel; it's cute, flirty, simple, and gives the book a great summery feeling…this book would definitely make for a great beach read. This novel begins with Hurricane Damien destroying Lacey, the 36-year-old main character, and her 14-year-old daughter, Ashley's possessions. They end up surviving the hurricane by staying in the bathtub while Lacey held a mattress over their head. Six weeks later, she and Ashley are staying in Lacey's parents' house, which is near the beach. She meets Clay Walker, who is 7 years her junior, and their lives are forever changed. Also in the story, we meet her three best friends, Zoe, Jocelyn, and Tessa, Ashley's father, David, and we even meet Lacey's parents. I really enjoyed this book, but at times I felt as if it was a bit too much going on in the novel. I thoroughly enjoyed the relationship between Lacey and Clay; I also love how the author had Lacey struggle with the fact that was older than Clay. One semi turn-off for me in this novel was Lacey's daughter, Ashley; she was kind of a brat, and I didn't really start liking her until towards the end of the novel. Another thing that was kind of an issue for me was all of the issues on top of Lacey's issues; you have Jocelyn who is completely terrified of going so far into town, you have Zoe who is harboring a secret, then add that with Tessa's issues, Lacey's issues with her mom and David, and Clay's issues with his father, it starts to be a bit much for the reader to digest…I felt like it really took away the focus on Lacey and Clay. Overall, I really enjoyed this novel and the lessons that came with it; for instance, follow our dreams no matter what our obstacles may be. Also, I love that this novel teaches us the value of family and friendships vs. material things; even if we lose everything we own, as long as we have family and friends by our sides, we'll be okay…and I think that's something that people often forget during natural disasters. Almost everything you own can be replaced, memories can be recreated, but family is irreplaceable. Good read!!
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